This invention relates to herbal compositions for reducing weight, maintaining weight loss over an extended period of time and suppressing appetite in a human or a domestic animal.
Examples of known appetite reducing agents are ephedrine which is an extract of the herb Mahuang (Ephreda sinica), phenylpropanolamine (PPA), amphetamines and fenfluramine alone or in combination with caffeine. Caffeine functions probably to reduce fatigue as caffeine has stimulating properties. Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) is a popular over-the-counter drug for appetite suppression and its side effects are well documented.
Several herbal compositions have been developed for reducing weight in humans or domestic animals. U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,352 discloses a composition of ephedrine and caffeine in a ratio of about 1:12. U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,594 discloses a method for decreasing appetite by administering a composition containing ephedrine or other indirect acting sympathomimetic drugs and tyrosine. U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,754 discloses an appetite suppressant composition comprising a heating and a cooling carminative substance, which composition may also include an amino acid and an anxiolytic substance. One of the anxiolytic substances disclosed is St. John's Wort. U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,405 discloses a weight reduction composition comprising a sympathomimetic agent and a mineral cation salt or chelate. Preferred is a composition comprising ephedrine and chromium picolinate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,460 discloses a composition for reducing weight comprising ephedrine, acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine.
However, none of the methods for weight reduction or appetite suppression disclose a composition comprising St. John's Wort (hypercin) and Mahuang (Ephedra sinica or ephedrine) which are disclosed in the present invention. The synergistic effect of St. John's Wort and Mahuang have been shown to be unexpectedly superior than the effect of the individual components.